IMS-LD experts meet in Valkenburg

February 1, 2005

These days the first tools are being presented. In Valkenburg about 50 tool developers, learning designers, teachers and learning providers from all over the world will meet to get to know these new tools.

Gaining hands on experience is the central aim of the meeting. All participants will install the new tools on their laptops and will start developing e-learning content. For tool developers it is a chance to see how users work with their tools and those produced by other developers. They will obtain valuable feedback on usability and interface design. For learning designers it is an opportunity to work on Units of Learning with the new tools with the support of IMS-LD experts and in collaboration with teachers. Teachers and learning providers will gain a better understanding of the capabilities and limitations of the current tools and future developments.

PlugfestOne of the main advantages of standardisation through specifications like IMS-LD is the platform independency. The Valkenburg meeting offers tool developers not only the opportunity to demonstrate and improve their product, it is also a test of the interoperability of the tools. The participants will try if content developed by IMS-LD editor A can be modified by editor B. And is it possible to play IMS-LD content developed by any of the editors in each and every available player?

The meeting is organized by the Educational technology expertise center (OTEC) of the Open Universiteit Nederland as part of the EU-project UNFOLD. OTEC played an important role in the development and approval of the IMS-LD specification. It is one of the founding members of the Valkenburg group and is partner of the UNFOLD project. As such it is host to this Community of Practice meeting in Valkenburg.